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VWâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tennessee plant
geared to US market
with its new Passat
By Kristin M. Hall
The Associated Press

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.
â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Volkswagen is jumping
into the U.S. auto market
with a domestically built Passat that is bigger and cheaper, bidding to break into the
competitive midsize sedan
market.
At the grand opening of its
new plant in Chattanooga, the
German automaker presented the 2012 Passat last week
as the key to building U.S.
sales to 1 million units by
2018. The factory has been
producing cars since April,
and Volkswagen officials
recently took the opportunity to show off both their
German-designed sedan and
the $1-billion plant.
The new Passat will go on
sale in the third quarter for
$20,000 a car. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about
$7,000 cheaper than current
models built in Germany and
close to the prices of such
competitorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; models as the
Ford Fusion, the Toyota Camry, the Honda Accord and
Hyundai Sonata.
Jonathan Browning, president and chief executive officer of Volkswagen Group of
America, said the automaker
wants to make German engineering more accessible to
North American buyers.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Passats produced
here in Chattanooga will be
a key enabler to our growth,
allowing us to compete in the
core of the midsize sedan
segment,â&#x20AC;? Browning told

reporters before the unveiling of the plant.
Volkswagen intends to produce 150,000 sedans annually at Chattanooga for the
American market, a big jump
for a car that has only sold
a peak of 80,000 units annually in the U.S. in its history.
Analysts say high production
is needed if they are to keep
pace with competitors.
Rebecca Lindland, senior
analyst for IHS Automotive,
said the best-selling brand
in the market, the Toyota
Camry, is expected to sell
350,000 units next year.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;One of the big obstacles
that Volkswagen faces is that
people know of the brand,
but donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t necessarily think
of the brand when buying a
car,â&#x20AC;? Lindland said.
The carmaker is trying to
change that with the Passat,
which was featured in a popular Superbowl commercial
with a youngster in a Darth
Vader costume. The actor,
8-year-old Max Page, was
on hand in Chattanooga to
open the factory doors for
tours.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Das auto is finally back in
the States,â&#x20AC;? declared Martin
Winterkorn, chairman of the
board of management for
Volkswagen AG, the parent
company of Volkswagen.
Being the only European
brand in the crowded pack
may be the Passatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s selling
point.
The 4-door sedan is offered
with either diesel or regular gasoline engines, comes

standard with dual-zone climate control and Bluetooth
features. The diesel version
boasts 43 mpg on the highway and the standard version, 32 mpg for a 2.5-liter.
The plant itself has such
energy-efficient design measures as LED lighting and
rainwater recycling. Frank
Fischer, who heads VWâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
Chattanooga plant, said the
complex uses 35 percent less
energy than a standard automotive plant.
Lindland said diesel car
sales have increased 48 percent in the year to date, as
consumers look to European
brands for better fuel efficiency â&#x20AC;&#x201D; even higher than
hybrid car purchases, which
rose 25 percent in the same
period.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said at the
grand opening that consumers are seeking out cars that
not only save them money
on gas, but also contribute
to the national economy and
curb the effects on the environment.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;We know that clean diesel
is one ingredient in the recipe for our long-term energy
security,â&#x20AC;? he said.
When Volkswagen selected Chattanooga as the site of
its new American plant, they
knew that the only way to
make a dent in the U.S. car
market was producing American cars, Fischer said.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;You have to be a local producer to also be in the market,â&#x20AC;? Fischer said.

AngelA lewis/ ChAttAnoogA times Free Press

Child actor Max Page, left, poses for photos with Dr. Martin Winterkorn, Volkswagenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
Chairman of the Board of Management, at the Volkswagen Grand Opening in Chattanooga, Tenn. The car is Volkswagenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bigger, cheaper, domestically built Passat.

The 2012 Audi A7 3.0 TFSI
Quattro is a Swiss Army
knife of a car, a multipurpose tool humming with the
energy of a supercharged
310-horsepower V6.
The A7’s refined styling
conceals a huge, practical cargo space. Its go-fast
looks are complemented by
a powerful and fuel-efficient
engine and transmission.
The interior of the car I tested combined the old-style
appeal of leather and wood
with bleeding-edge technology like a nav system with
Google Earth satellite photos, a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot
and the best voice-control
system I’ve experienced in
any European luxury car.
The A7 is essentially the
flagship of the model line
for Audi’s new A6 midsize

sport sedan, which goes on
sale this summer. The A7
competes with all-wheel
drive sport sedans like the
BMW 535i xDrive, Cadillac
CTS4, Lexus GS 350 AWD
and Mercedes-Benz E350
4Matic. Despite a couple of
minor ergonomic flaws, it
ranks with BMW at the top
of the class.
The A7 should singlehandedly eliminate the widespread prejudice against
hatchbacks.
Its classy looks and
accommodating interior
make it one of the most
attractive and practical
sporty luxury cars on the
road.
Prices for the 2012 Audi
A7 3.0 TFSI Quattro start at
$59,250. The car comes standard with all-wheel drive,
a 310-horsepower 3.0-liter
direct-injection supercharged V6, eight-speed

automatic transmission and
much more. It’s effectively
the sportiest, best-equipped
model of the new A6 sedan
that goes on sale shortly.
I tested a well-equipped
model that cost $66,555. All
prices exclude destination
charges.
The A7’s price compares
well with other leading allwheel-drive sport sedans
like the 535i, CTS, GS 350
and E350 thanks to a range
of useful features the other
cars don’t offer.
The A7 seats four comfortably. Both rows of seats
provide excellent head and
shoulder room.
The hatchback holds a
mega-sized 24.5 cubic feet,
bigger than any of the competitive models and more
than twice as big as the GS’
trunk.
A parcel shelf keeps road
noise from echoing in the

big cargo space. The wide,
low opening makes it easy
to load big objects. The A7’s
interior is quiet, with little
road or wind noise.
The interior of the car I
tested featured soft black
perforated leather seats and
a lovely dark wood with a
finish that lets you feel the
material’s grain.
The front-seat cupholders
were too close to the armrest; it was hard to use them
with cups the size of a large
Starbucks coffee.
The gauges were large
and clear. Most of the controls were simple, though
I didn’t see much value in
the small touchpad Audi
added to the MMI system
that controls audio, navigation, phone and many other
systems.
The ventilated seats are
See AUDI, Page 12

Question: I have a car for
sale on Craigslist.com, and
I received an offer from a
buyer in Europe who will
pay me with a cashier’s
check. Is this a scam? —
M.A.L., Fort Lauderdale
Answer: Unless you have,
say, a vintage Aston-Martin for sale, any interest
shown from a buyer a long
distance away is likely a
scam — no one in Europe is
looking to buy your Honda
Accord or Toyota Corolla.
There are plenty of scams,
but a common one in a case
like this will have the “buyer” send you a cashier’s
check or a money order for
more than the actual purchase price. Say you are
asking $3,000 — the buyer may send you $6,000,
tell you to cash it and then
instruct you to immediate-

ly send $3,000 back, which
he or she supposedly will
use to cover shipping costs.
Only after you cash the
check or money order do
you find out it is fake, making you responsible for all
$6,000.
Q: I was told by my auto
mechanic that my tires
were rotting from within. Have you ever heard of
that? — J.S. Lee
A: I haven’t, but more
importantly, neither has
John Rastetter, director of
information services for
The Tire Rack. “Unless he
dismounted the tires, I have
no idea how you could tell
that with the tires still on
the wheels.” Rastetter wondered if the mechanic was
trying to sell you a “nitrogen fill,” to replace the air
in your tires. If so, save
your money.

Fuel your car-shopping condence.
Go to Cars.com and become a more condent car shopper.
Find the right car for you with research tools like our Lifestyle
and Green Buying guides, and consumer and expert reviews.
Even compare mileage side-by-side.

APR as low as 1.9% for 60 months
on new 2011 Honda Civic, Accord, CR-V, & Pilot
Visit proctorhonda.com to learn more. Buyers must have approved credit, not all will qualify. Must take deliver from dealer stock by July 5, 2011.

MIAMI BEACH — Car
Charging Group Inc., a provider of electric vehicle charging
services, says it has completed the installations of seven
EV charging stations for the
city of West Palm Beach.
“We’re thrilled to be working with the city of West Palm
Beach,” said Car Charging
Group CEO Michael D. Farkas. “As one of the first municipalities installing EV charging stations in the state of
Florida, they clearly share
our passion and understand
the importance of installing
a national infrastructure of
EV charging stations.”
Car Charging Group will
install seven Level II, 240volt ChargePoint networked
charging stations for electric vehicles. The hardware
is manufactured by Coulomb
Technologies.
The charging stations will
be housed in the downtown
Clematis Street Garage at
500 Banyan Blvd. Five of the
seven stations will be allocated for West Palm Beach
official use, including Parking Administration and Code
Enforcement departments, to
provide charging support for
five new Nissan LEAF elec-

“By installing
charging stations, we are
positioning West
Palm Beach as
a green leader,
while simultaneously bolstering our mission
to promote West
Palm Beach’s
thriving downtown business
district.”
Penni RedfoRd
sustainability manager for
the city of West Palm Beach
Rick BowmeR/The AssociATed PRess

A Nissan Leaf is seen at an EV charging site in Portland, Ore. Soon, such sights will be
seen in West Palm Beach, where Car Charging Group Inc., a provider of electric vehicle
charging services, recently completed the installations of seven EV charging stations.
tric vehicles purchased by
the city. Two stations at the
garage will be available free
of charge to the public.
Both Nissan LEAFs and EV
charging stations are funded

through the U.S. Department
of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block
Grant program, designed to
assist cities in implementing projects to reduce fossil

fuel emissions and reduce
energy use.
“We’re very excited about
installing these EV charging
stations,” said Penni Redford,
the sustainability manager for

the city of West Palm Beach.
“By installing charging stations, we are positioning
West Palm Beach as a green
leader, while simultaneously bolstering our mission to
promote West Palm Beach’s
thriving downtown business
district.”
The city plans on analyzing data recorded on the

public charging stations’
usage patterns. Data collection is enabled through the
ChargePoint network management applications, which
give station owners the ability to track and report energy usage and greenhouse gas
savings. Through its analysis, the city will decide if
and when to install additional
charging stations.
Car Charging Group plans
to build out a nationwide infrastructure enabling owners to
charge their EVs any time,
anywhere. As part of its strategy, the company owns, provides, installs and maintains
electric vehicle charging units
and works with its landowner
partners to identify appropriate locations for the stations.
Charging stations are located at safe, convenient public
sites, such as shopping malls,
parking garages, multifamily
residential developments and
commercial properties.
Car Charging Group cites
estimates that 40 million plugin electric vehicles will be on
the road by 2030, prompting
the need to establish a comprehensive network of charging stations for those drivers.

Air-conditioner trouble can have various causes
By Brad Bergholdt

McClatchy-Tribune News Service

Question: My air conditioner hasn’t worked for
quite a while, and I’m considering having it fixed.
The vents blow warm air.
My question is how
much it might cost. I don’t
mind paying maybe $150,
but am concerned I might
pay that much just to find
out it’s going to be $600,
which I can’t swing. It is a
1999 Buick.
Answer: Automotive
air-conditioning systems use an engine-driven compressor to circulate refrigerant and a

Under The
hood
small quantity of lubricant through a large loop
of hoses and pipes to four
additional components
and back to the compressor. The loop includes the
condenser, a radiatorlike
device mounted behind
the vehicle’s grille. Next
is a small tank, called
either a receiver/dryer or
accumulator; a flow control device; and the evaporator, which is a second
radiatorlike device located behind the instrument

panel. The final path is
back to the compressor.
As the refrigerant is
compressed and passes through the various
devices, it changes from
vapor to liquid and back to
vapor, along with changes
in pressure. This process
allows heat to be drawn
into the evaporator from
the passenger compartment and released by the
condenser outside the
vehicle.
The most common air
conditioning faults are
loss of refrigerant from
leakage; electrical faults
in switches and controls;
or a failed or leaking com-

pressor.
Leakage can occur
from hose and pipe connections, the compressor shaft seal or, more
rarely, cracks, splits or
corrosion of various system parts. Leakage often
leaves a telltale sign: a
dirty, sticky buildup of
escaped lubricant at the
point of leakage. Electrical problems can result in
the compressor or cooling
fan not working. A failed
compressor is the worstcase scenario because of
the high cost of parts and
labor.
Odds are high you’re
low on refrigerant

because of leakage. The
servicing technician will
evaluate system pressures, look for telltale
leakage, recharge as necessary to test for a leak,
then recommend your
repair options. In a bestcase scenario, no significant leaks are found, an
evacuation and refrigerant recharge are performed, and you’re good
to go for about the price
you hoped for. More likely, a hose or pipe connection o-ring will require
replacement in addition
to the evacuation and
charge, pushing the bill
a bit higher. Worse yet

would be a leaking hose
assembly or faulty flow
control device.
Deal-breaker problems
could be a leaking condenser or evaporator or a
failed compressor. If the
system has lost all refrigerant and moisture-laden
air has entered, replacement of the receiver/dryer or accumulator is also
recommended. Moisture
reacts with refrigerant to
cause corrosion.
—Brad Bergholdt is an automotive technology instructor
at Evergreen Valley College
in San Jose, Calif. Send him
e-mail at under-the-hood@
earthlink.net.

Texas plant lobbying for new GM line
By Bob Cox
Fort Worth Star-Telegram

FORT WORTH, Texas
— In recent weeks, General Motors Co. officials have
gone to local governments in
search of fresh tax breaks
that they say are needed to persuade the company to spend $240 million to
retool and expand its Arlington, Texas, truck assembly
plant.
The Arlington plant, they
say, has to compete with other GM facilities and make the
best financial case to build
the next generation of GM
sport utility vehicles.
But the decision to build
those vehicles in Arlington
was probably made long ago,
analysts say, at least when
GM shuttered several of its
older plants before and after
its 2009 bankruptcy reorganization.
“They’re not going to take
SUVs out of Arlington,” said
Tracy Handler, automotive
industry analyst with the IHS
Automotive consulting firm.
“I don’t think there’s any real
question about it,” she said.
While she noted that GM’s
former SUV plant in Janesville, Wis., isn’t closed completely and, “if they wanted to mess with the union or
local officials,” the company
could use the facility, “but
I don’t think that’s going to
happen.”
The Arlington plant has
consistently ranked among
GM’s best for productivity,
low costs and vehicle quality.
GM officials have indicated that they will introduce all-new lines of fullsize trucks, both pickups
and SUVs, with production
beginning around 2013. It’s
likely that the plans for the
new pickups, a segment of the
market with fierce competition, will come before plans
for SUVs.
GM this month began
making a series of announcements, which probably will
last for several months,
regarding its intention to

Honda will
hire 1,000
at Indiana
auto plant
By Robert King
The Indianapolis Star

Brandon Wade/ Fort Worth Star-telegram

GM Assembly Plant workers gather on May 26 to hear the announcement that GM will invest $331 million and bring
110 new jobs to the General Motors Assembly Plant in Arlington, Texas.

The Arlington
plant has
consistently
ranked among
GM’s best for
productivity,
low costs and
vehicle quality.
invest about $2 billion in
existing plants, both those
that make components and
those that assemble vehicles.
Last week, it announced a
$204 million investment in
a Toledo, Ohio, plant to build
new eight-speed transmissions, and $109 million to
expand small-engine plants
in Flint and Bay City, Mich.
In a brief interview last
week, Paul Graham, the
Arlington plant manager,

gave no clue to the future of
the plant, but did say it continues to do a very good job
producing SUVs.
The Arlington plant is now
the only one producing the six
large SUV models sold under
the Cadillac, Chevrolet and
GMC brands. With employees working 50- and 60-hour
weeks all last year, the plant
built more than 280,000 vehicles, its most ever.
The plant has about 2,200
hourly production workers
and 200 salaried employees, with an annual payroll
approaching $300 million.
Conventional wisdom
among financial analysts is
that a bigger threat to the
Arlington plant is the rising price of gasoline, which
could undermine sales of the
big SUVs.
GM’s sales of large SUVs
dipped 18 percent in April
from 2010 levels as gaso-

line prices approached or,
in many places, surpassed
$4 a gallon. Inventories of
unsold vehicles were significantly higher on May 1 than
a month earlier.
GM has not indicated any
plans to cut Arlington production, Graham said. The plant
continues to work two shifts
five days a week, and six days
some weeks, providing workers with a steady stream of
overtime pay.
If inventories get too high,
Handler, the IHS analyst,
said GM could probably boost
SUV sales by adding rebates
or other incentives such as
sweetened lease deals.
“They haven’t put a lot
of incentives on the SUVs
recently,” Handler said. “If
they look at supply and think
there’s a problem, they have
room to pump up sales by
adding incentives without
hurting their profit much.”

The Arlington
plant is now the
only one
producing the
six large SUV
models sold
under the
Cadillac,
Chevrolet and
GMC brands.
With employees
working 50- and
60-hour weeks
all last year, the
plant built more
than 280,000
vehicles, its
most ever.

GREENSBURG, Ind. —
Honda will double the number of workers at its assembly
plant here by the end of the
year — adding 1,000 jobs —
as part of a dramatic increase
in auto production, a person
familiar with the company
said.
The new workers — part
of a new second shift at the
Greensburg, Ind., plant —
will be necessary for The new
Honda to
workers
reach its
new goal
will be
of producnecesing 200,000
cars a year,
sary for
sa id the
source, who Honda to
requested reach its
anonymity because new goal
he was not
of proauthorized
ducing
to spe a k
publ icly
200,000
about the
cars a
develop ment. Honyear.
da now produces about
100,000 cars a year in Greensburg.
The plant, which opened
in 2008, employs about 1,000
workers involved in the production of the Honda Civic
sedan and the Honda Civic
GX sedan natural gas vehicle.
Honda was looking to add
a second shift after it began
production. But then the
recession hit and those plans
were put on hold. That wait
now appears to be over.
News of the increased production comes after a difficult
spring for Honda, whose parts
supply lines were affected by
the March 11 earthquake and
tsunami in Japan.

not particularly effective on
hot days.
The voice-control system is excellent. Dictating
addresses to the nav system
and making phone calls to
people in my directory were
simple and quick.
Audi still requires you to
use its proprietary wire to
connect iPod-type music
players, rather than using
a conventional â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and less
expensive â&#x20AC;&#x201D; USB plug. My
iPod dropped out of shuffle
mode whenever I switched
to it from a CD.
The optional Audi Connect Internet connection
allows the nav system to
access Google Earth satellite photos in a display that
lays your driving directions
over photos of the roads you
travel.
Audi Connect also provides real-time Sirius radio
traffic updates and infor-

The Associated Press

DETROIT â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Automakers just reported their U.S. sales
for May. These are the top selling cars and trucks for the
month, and the percent change in sales from May 2010.
Chevrolet Cruze sales canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be compared to last May
because the Cruze went on sale last fall.
Vehicle

The 2012 Audi A7 3.0 TFSI Quattro is a Swiss Army knife of a car, a multipurpose tool
humming with the energy of a supercharged 310-horsepower V6.
mation about restaurants,
hotels and other points of
interest. It can also turn the
car into a Wi-Fi hotspot for
up to eight devices.
When you unplug from the
Internet, the A7 reminds you
itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also a fast and responsive
car. The supercharged V6
provides plenty of torque for
acceleration. The steering is
direct and responsive.
The optional Audi Drive
Select system allows you

to adjust the seat belt tensioning, steering, engine
and transmission for more
comfort or sportier driving.
The system works well, but
Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to be able to adjust
the suspension, too.
The A7â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s setup tended to
lean in hard cornering; a
stiffer setting would complement the steering and
drivetrain settings.
T he st ick y o pt io n a l
19-inch tires kept the A7

firmly planted through fast
curves on country roads.
The A7â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exterior boasts
a wide stance, low profile,
crisp body lines and a flowing fastback look. And fuel
economy is good.
The 2012 Audi A7 TFSI
Quattroâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s performance,
looks and practicality make
the luxury hatchback ideal
for drivers who want more
than just another sport
sedan.